Make no mistake, filmmaker Bill Morrison is not a man trapped in the past. Though he deals in celluloid from another time, his work bridges the gap between then and now. Dawson City: Frozen Time, Morrison’s critically-acclaimed documentary, tells the story of a treasure trove of lost silent cinema discovered in Dawson City, Canada under a swimming pool. From these slivers of nitrate film comes something grand. Aided by a remarkable score from Alex Somers of Sigur Rós, Morrison connects the history of film with the history of life in North America. Political movements, sports scandals, heinous fires (some caused by the flammable celluloid itself), and countless other moments captured in time. It appeared on multiple Top 10 of 2017 lists for us here at The Film Stage, sitting atop my own. Compelled to have a conversation with Morrison, the filmmaker was kind enough to chat with us for a good...
- 1/30/2018
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Above: Zoulikha Bouabdellah's Al Attlal (Ruines), left, and Pierre Léon's À la barbe d'Ivan, right.
Nicole Brenez has curated two programs of new work from the French avant-garde for this year’s Rendezvous with French Cinema 2011 in New York; below she has offered her program notes in French. Program one (on Saturday) concentrates on filmmakers reappropriating images; program two (Sunday) is the new feature by Ange Leccia, Nuit bleue. Below, I’ve translated Brenez’s extended appreciation of Leccia and Nuit bleue; as usual, I’ve tried to stay faithful to the sound and rhythm of the original where possible. Beneath the translated extract you'll find the full article by Ms. Brenez in its original French. —David Phelps
***
…Although Ange Leccia has also practiced re-appropriating images (especially Jean Luc-Godard’s) in his installations and his films, Nuit bleuetakes up a different aesthetic vein, one rich with a long tradition of the French avant-garde.
Nicole Brenez has curated two programs of new work from the French avant-garde for this year’s Rendezvous with French Cinema 2011 in New York; below she has offered her program notes in French. Program one (on Saturday) concentrates on filmmakers reappropriating images; program two (Sunday) is the new feature by Ange Leccia, Nuit bleue. Below, I’ve translated Brenez’s extended appreciation of Leccia and Nuit bleue; as usual, I’ve tried to stay faithful to the sound and rhythm of the original where possible. Beneath the translated extract you'll find the full article by Ms. Brenez in its original French. —David Phelps
***
…Although Ange Leccia has also practiced re-appropriating images (especially Jean Luc-Godard’s) in his installations and his films, Nuit bleuetakes up a different aesthetic vein, one rich with a long tradition of the French avant-garde.
- 3/19/2011
- MUBI
By Michael Atkinson
Our official "B-movie" distribution stream -- straight-to-dvd releases -- grows in number and variety every year, as fewer films can be, or at least are, affordably shown theatrically than ever before. And these titles still can't qualify for awards or polls of any kind, or often even reviews, as the number of theatrical screens continues to drop. Does this make any sense? Here're my favorites from this year, the movies that first saw American screens (big or small) on digital video in 2008, be they brand new or decades old.
1. "Sophie's Place"
Lawrence Jordan, U.S., 1986
The renowned yet all-but-forgotten avant-garde filmmaker's grand animated masterpiece, a Victorian-styled dream-collage-painting-fever-feature brimming with hundreds of inexplicable epiphanies and a sense of visual magic that is all but utterly unique to Jordan. This honey was ensconced in Facets' lavish, under-celebrated set "The Lawrence Jordan Album," which in itself is more of an...
Our official "B-movie" distribution stream -- straight-to-dvd releases -- grows in number and variety every year, as fewer films can be, or at least are, affordably shown theatrically than ever before. And these titles still can't qualify for awards or polls of any kind, or often even reviews, as the number of theatrical screens continues to drop. Does this make any sense? Here're my favorites from this year, the movies that first saw American screens (big or small) on digital video in 2008, be they brand new or decades old.
1. "Sophie's Place"
Lawrence Jordan, U.S., 1986
The renowned yet all-but-forgotten avant-garde filmmaker's grand animated masterpiece, a Victorian-styled dream-collage-painting-fever-feature brimming with hundreds of inexplicable epiphanies and a sense of visual magic that is all but utterly unique to Jordan. This honey was ensconced in Facets' lavish, under-celebrated set "The Lawrence Jordan Album," which in itself is more of an...
- 12/17/2008
- by Michael Atkinson
- ifc.com
By Michael Atkinson
A distinctive force in European cinema for over 35 years, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani achieved from their first films an eloquent stylistic bridge between Rossellinian stringency and Fellinian braggadocio. Their movies are often framed like friezes, but the chaos of human whim always muddies the compositions. Appropriately, the Tavianis began as political barnburners, fashioning absurdist parables and sometimes cosmic commedia from Italy's lunatic flirtations with extreme movements. No European filmmaker has ever been as dedicated to their nation's peasant legacy, and no one on the continent since the '70s has made such potent and revealing use of their native landscape. Still, if the Tavianis' penchant for old-fashioned narrative folkiness has grown tedious over the last decade or two, there's still 1982's "The Night of the Shooting Stars," their premier achievement, and arguably the best Italian film of the '80s.
Right off the bat, with its framing...
A distinctive force in European cinema for over 35 years, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani achieved from their first films an eloquent stylistic bridge between Rossellinian stringency and Fellinian braggadocio. Their movies are often framed like friezes, but the chaos of human whim always muddies the compositions. Appropriately, the Tavianis began as political barnburners, fashioning absurdist parables and sometimes cosmic commedia from Italy's lunatic flirtations with extreme movements. No European filmmaker has ever been as dedicated to their nation's peasant legacy, and no one on the continent since the '70s has made such potent and revealing use of their native landscape. Still, if the Tavianis' penchant for old-fashioned narrative folkiness has grown tedious over the last decade or two, there's still 1982's "The Night of the Shooting Stars," their premier achievement, and arguably the best Italian film of the '80s.
Right off the bat, with its framing...
- 4/8/2008
- by Michael Atkinson
- ifc.com
'Lyrical Nitrate'
NEW YORK -- ''Lyrical Nitrate'' is a true labor of love -- for film. Director Peter Delpeut has carefully compiled rare silent film clips from 1905-15 that had once been thought to be lost. Discovered in the attic of Jean Desmet, the first Dutch distributor, these pieces of film are shown with the original color toning and tinting intact.
Making its U.S. theatrical premiere at Film Forum, ''Lyrical Nitrate'' is for hardcore film students and enthusiasts only. Its fascination for the early stages of filmmaking is infectious, but this is by no means a restoration of a film classic.
Instead, it's a rescue of film that preserves a classic style of filmmaking. Delpeut has masterfully secured this priceless footage that would otherwise have been permanently ruined due to its nitrate stock.
Comprised of several short but complete vignettes, as well as quite a few disjointed segments of celluloid, ''Lyrical Nitrate'' shows a variety of early film techniques and acting styles.
What truly enhances the project, however, is the addition of the delightful and emotional music soundtrack. Although it's sporadically used, the music adds a necessary cohesiveness to the proceedings, and helps to move things along at a smoother pace.
What's interesting to note is how back then practically every film seemed original. Each story was a new one, at least as far as film was concerned. This is mostly evident in the short piece about a couple ship-
What's interesting to note is how back then practically every film seemed original. Each story was a new one, at least as far as film was concerned. This is mostly evident in the short piece about a couple ship-wrecked on an island. Thinking her husband is dead, the woman falls in love with her male compatriot. When her live husband shows up to rescue them, the man, distraught over losing his new love, decides to stay behind on the island.
This, of course, seems reminiscent of Lina Wertmuller's ''Swept Away.'' Today, almost everything seems derivative. Back then there must have been a freshness to each new film.
This is highlighted by Delpeut's inclusion of footage showing early audiences watching the shipwreck film. At its conclusion, we cut to a shot of a female viewer totally entranced by what she just witnessed on the screen.
It is also entertaining to see how melodramatic the performances were during the early days of the silent era. Obviously, lack of dialogue required a more theatrical approach. Every expression and gesture is exaggerated. Subtlety was a luxury silent filmmakers couldn't afford. Yet, in spite of its amusing effect in light of today's standards, it conveys a nostalgic sense of innocence -- of both the filmmaking process and the viewers.
''Lyrical Nitrate, '' Delpeut's glowing tribute to this tinted but not tainted era, is a must-see for anyone interested in the humble beginnings of the fascinating and magical nature of cinema.
LYRICAL NITRATE
Zeitgeist Films
Director-writer Peter Delpeut
Editor Menno Boerema
Producer Suzanne van Voorst
Sound effects Paul Veld
Color grading Dick Troeleman
Color
Running time -- 50 minutes
No MPAA rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Making its U.S. theatrical premiere at Film Forum, ''Lyrical Nitrate'' is for hardcore film students and enthusiasts only. Its fascination for the early stages of filmmaking is infectious, but this is by no means a restoration of a film classic.
Instead, it's a rescue of film that preserves a classic style of filmmaking. Delpeut has masterfully secured this priceless footage that would otherwise have been permanently ruined due to its nitrate stock.
Comprised of several short but complete vignettes, as well as quite a few disjointed segments of celluloid, ''Lyrical Nitrate'' shows a variety of early film techniques and acting styles.
What truly enhances the project, however, is the addition of the delightful and emotional music soundtrack. Although it's sporadically used, the music adds a necessary cohesiveness to the proceedings, and helps to move things along at a smoother pace.
What's interesting to note is how back then practically every film seemed original. Each story was a new one, at least as far as film was concerned. This is mostly evident in the short piece about a couple ship-
What's interesting to note is how back then practically every film seemed original. Each story was a new one, at least as far as film was concerned. This is mostly evident in the short piece about a couple ship-wrecked on an island. Thinking her husband is dead, the woman falls in love with her male compatriot. When her live husband shows up to rescue them, the man, distraught over losing his new love, decides to stay behind on the island.
This, of course, seems reminiscent of Lina Wertmuller's ''Swept Away.'' Today, almost everything seems derivative. Back then there must have been a freshness to each new film.
This is highlighted by Delpeut's inclusion of footage showing early audiences watching the shipwreck film. At its conclusion, we cut to a shot of a female viewer totally entranced by what she just witnessed on the screen.
It is also entertaining to see how melodramatic the performances were during the early days of the silent era. Obviously, lack of dialogue required a more theatrical approach. Every expression and gesture is exaggerated. Subtlety was a luxury silent filmmakers couldn't afford. Yet, in spite of its amusing effect in light of today's standards, it conveys a nostalgic sense of innocence -- of both the filmmaking process and the viewers.
''Lyrical Nitrate, '' Delpeut's glowing tribute to this tinted but not tainted era, is a must-see for anyone interested in the humble beginnings of the fascinating and magical nature of cinema.
LYRICAL NITRATE
Zeitgeist Films
Director-writer Peter Delpeut
Editor Menno Boerema
Producer Suzanne van Voorst
Sound effects Paul Veld
Color grading Dick Troeleman
Color
Running time -- 50 minutes
No MPAA rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 10/13/1991
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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